Metal-finished candle



Jan. 16, 1940. M. F. PRATT METAL-FINISHED CANDLE Filed Oct. 2, 1937 IINVENTOR W *5. Paid:

310 m ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEltIETAL-FINISHED CANDLE Application October 2, 1937, Serial No. 167,004

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the production of a candle with metal-likefinish, and the object of the invention is to produce a candle whichshall have a smooth and lustrous metal finish and which shall yet burnfreely without guttering or smoking.

It is known that acandle of reasonably good burning qualities can beproduced by coating the body with a solution of'shellac or shellac androsin containing metal powder. The finish so produced, however, does nothave the appearance of lustrous or burnished metal.

It is also known that a lustrous or burnished metal finish may beproduced by applying, to the article to be finished, a coat of oilvarnish, and

- applying to the varnish, when dried to a tacky condition, either ametal leaf or a metal powder, the powder, when so used, being afterwardsburnished by rubbing with a brush, chamois or the like. finishing acandle, however, it is has been found that, although the desiredappearance is secured, the burning qualities of the candle wereseriously impaired because the coating of varnish and metal folded in onthe wick as the candle burned down, causing guttering, smothering of thefiame or distortion of the exposed portion of the wick I have discoveredthat if the candle body is first coated with shellac, before the metalfinish is produced by the use of varnish and metal leaf or powder asabove described, the burning of the candle is greatly improved,particularly as the shellac, by producing a smooth and firm surface,permits the use'of a relatively thin coating of varnish suflicient onlyto act as a metal size. By reason of some quality of the shellac,presumably its surface tension or particular thermoplastic properties,the coating so produced shrinks away regularly as the candle burns andleaves little residue on the wick, so that no troublesome accumulationof the coating material occurs.

The accompanying drawing shows a portion of a candle finished inaccordance with the present invention, the candle being shown partly insection and the thickness of the several coatings being greatlyexaggerated for the purpose of clear illustration.

In the drawing the body I of the candle is shown as'having successivecoats 2, 3 and 4 comprising shellac, oil varnish and metal,respectively, the metal coat 4 presenting a lustrous or burnishedappearance.

In the manufacture of the candle the body may be of any ordinarycomposition, such as a mixture of stearine and parafiine wax. The

When this method has been used in shellac, for best results, should bedewaxed and should be dissolved either in pure alcohol, or in adenatured alcohol which does not contain any denaturant which isnon-volatile or which has greater solvent action on the candle than thatof the alcohol.

While pure shellac may be used in the first coat, it has been found thatit has a tendency to crack owing to thermal expansion and contraction ofthe candle body, so that it is desirable to add some material to imparta more yielding character to the shellac. I have found that this may bedone by using a mixture of 80% shellac, 10% rosin, and 10% leadmanganese naphthenate drier, such as is sold under the trade nameSoligen. The shellac and other ingredients may be dissolved in enoughalcohol to make a 20% solution.

The varnish used in the second coat may be of any ordinary composition,the oil being Chinawood oil, thermolized tung oil, varnish-makerslinseed oil or bodied linseed oil, and the suitable resins includingrosin, ester gum and various other natural and synthetic resins. Thechief practical requirement for convenient manufacture is that thevarnish, in drying, have a sufficiently long tacky period after it hasdried to the point at which the metal may be applied.

As an example of a suitable varnish, 80% of ester gum, and 20% ofthermolized tung oil may be used, dissolved in a light petroleum naphthawith a boiling point range between 190 and 270 F. In order that thevarnish coat may be relatively thin, suflicient naphtha may be used togive a 10% solution. I have found that with the two coating solutions asparticularly described, coats of suitable thickness will be produced bydipping the candle, and withdrawing it at a rate such that about tenseconds are required for withdrawal.

In addition to its principal advantages, before described, the shellacfirst coat has the advantage that it seals the body of the candleagainst the solvent action of the naphtha used in the varnish coat. Inthe absence of such protection it would be necessary to use specialvarnish bases dissolved in acetone or some other solvent in which was isrelatively insoluble.

The metal coat is applied while the varnish is still tacky. Where ametal powder is used the varnish should be allowed to dry to thedustfree condition so that the powder may adhere to the outer surface ofthe varnish while the varnish is firm enough to permit a light rubbingwith some soft material to give a burnished appearance. The powder maybe applied by dipping or dusting, and the quantity necessary isexiremely small, so that troublesome accumulation of metal as the candleburns does not occur. To permit the production of a good burnished orlustre efiect the metal powder should be fine and of good quality, suchas the standard lining grade of polished aluminum powder.-

I claim as my invention:

1. A candle having, in combination, a body, a relatively thick firstcoat, on the body, of shellac, a relatively thin second coat of oilvarnish, and an outer coat of metal adherent to the outer surface of thevarnish coat.

2. The method of making a candle with a metallic finish, which comprisesthe steps ofv coating the candle body first with shellac and drying thesame, applying a relatively thin coat of oil varnish to the shellaccoat, dusting the varnish, when it has dried dust-free but is stilltacky, with metal powder, and rubbing the metal powder to produce alustrous surface.

3. The method of making a candle with a metallic finish, which comprisesthe steps of coating the candle body first with material comprising amajor portion of shellac and a minor portion of rosin, dissolved inalcohol, then applying a coat of oil varnish thinned with petroleumnaphtha, and then applying a thin and substantially continuous metalcoat to the surface of the varnish while it is in a tacky condition.

MALCOLM F. PRA'I'I.

